Another thing to consider is that the 512Ke is not actually marked as "enhanced" or "e" on its nameplate. The only surefire ways to know if it's enhanced (originally or not) are to look at the serial number (anything made in April 1986 or later is an "e") or to see if an 800K disk will work in its drive. Also, a platinum machine that looks like a Plus but doesn't have a name next to it is a 512Ke--this is what the machine looked like during its final days in 1987 when the entire line went to platinum. The 512Ke was discontinued in September 1987, for the record.
The 512Ke upgrade was well-received once every software publisher started going to 800K disks. Not everyone could afford a full Plus upgrade, so this at least gave them the ability to run some current software on a two-drive system.
I agree with the posters who believe the 512K goes for less since it's not the original. It's not the most common machine out there, either in regular or "e" form, as many were upgraded to Pluses or simply disposed of, but it's certainly not in the same league as, say, the Mac TV or Flower Power iMac. I bought my 512Ke on eBay for $25 in 2001--a time when 128Ks were often selling for three figures.
Also, the reason you see more Pluses, Classics, and SEs is because schools had these machines in large quantities. It's also why you see lots of LCs but not too many Mac IIs or Quadras. The schools didn't really buy the original Macs (128K/512K) because they were still into Apple IIs at the time, many were almost exclusively Apple II until the Classic and LC came out. The lack of software for the first Macs compared to the large libraries (i.e. MECC) for the Apple II is the main reason why they were avoided. The price difference really wasn't that significant when you factor in external floppy drives and monitors for the Apple IIs; adding mice and super serial cards/network cards only set schools back further.
The 512Ke upgrade was well-received once every software publisher started going to 800K disks. Not everyone could afford a full Plus upgrade, so this at least gave them the ability to run some current software on a two-drive system.
I agree with the posters who believe the 512K goes for less since it's not the original. It's not the most common machine out there, either in regular or "e" form, as many were upgraded to Pluses or simply disposed of, but it's certainly not in the same league as, say, the Mac TV or Flower Power iMac. I bought my 512Ke on eBay for $25 in 2001--a time when 128Ks were often selling for three figures.
Also, the reason you see more Pluses, Classics, and SEs is because schools had these machines in large quantities. It's also why you see lots of LCs but not too many Mac IIs or Quadras. The schools didn't really buy the original Macs (128K/512K) because they were still into Apple IIs at the time, many were almost exclusively Apple II until the Classic and LC came out. The lack of software for the first Macs compared to the large libraries (i.e. MECC) for the Apple II is the main reason why they were avoided. The price difference really wasn't that significant when you factor in external floppy drives and monitors for the Apple IIs; adding mice and super serial cards/network cards only set schools back further.